This year, Dylan’s eye was caught by a rough-sawn heart pine 6 x 6 corner post that came out of the inside of the house. He knew it would look great cut into pieces and used as coasters, and he was right. But what to do with these coasters with no one in the house yet to enjoy them? Well, give them away, of course. You could win a set of 6 of Dylan’s coasters!

But before you get too excited and flip on over to the DIY Blog Cabin blog to find out how you can win these coasters, I urge you to just stop here and take a moment to lust after this beautiful grain.

And if you like that, you’ll love this shot of the wood’s rough edges, too.

Nice, huh? With character like this, rather than painting or staining the coasters, Dylan used shellac on them and called it a day. “I like a natural looking finish,” he says. I agree.

See below for Dylan’s how-to steps for creating these coasters. Not into woodworking? Well, luckily, this very set could be yours. Get on over the DIY’s Blog Cabin blog now to find out how.

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Step 1

Open GalleryDylan started with a piece of heart pine. The notched area was where the original post met a cross beam. If you can’t get your hands on salvaged heart pine, Dylan suggests using a rot-resistant wood like cedar. Pine and oak have larger pores that soak up water, though the shellac over these wood types should make them work just fine, too.

Step 2

Open GallerySet your saw to cut the posts across the grain at 3/4 inches. And heed Dylan’s advice: “Be careful about nails, lead-based paint and splits when using salvaged wood. There could be hidden stuff inside the wood that you can’t see at first.”

Step 3

Open GalleryClamp the coaster pieces down for sanding.

Step 4

Open GalleryTo retain the character of rough-sawn wood, sand the top, bottom and sides lightly using 60-, 120- and then 220-grit sandpaper. You just want to smooth out the wood. Because heart pine has so much sap, you may need to change out the disc more often than you expect.

Step 5

Open GalleryApply three coats of clear shellac, allowing to dry and then lightly sanding between coats. After the final coat has dried, knock down the shine with steel wool, just enough to turn the semi-gloss sheen into a matte or flat finish.

20 Responses

I love the rolling doors to the upstairs Great Room, although it was a hard choice to make, cause I also love the dinning table among the many other items. But the rolling, rocking, sliding doors are my favorite!

I have to say I love the driftwood table in the living area downstairs. When I was young my parents collected all kinds of driftwood items when we went on vacation or when ever they found any. I still have two pieces of theirs. One is a driftwood lamp with a bowl in the middle, and one is a driftwood stump made into a tiki looking thing. Got to love driftwood.

Hi! I am a new Blog Cabin addict! For years I was in the dark, but now I see the light! And "Oh Boy!" am I impressed. The greatest aspect of this new project was all of the re-cycling of materials. Talk about Green! Count me in from now on!

This is a great idea,that was an old tree. Guess what the squirrels planted a black walnut tree and it must get cut down, you know I'll give it a try. I think I'll age the wood before the application of shellac. A nice table and bench too.

This is a great way to showcase the tight grain of real heart pine. It is also an easy way to upcycle and honor all those little pieces of wood normally left over from larger projects. I just couldn't bring myself to toss even the smallest pieces of wood that had preserved so long.

Blog Cabin has such loyal fans so this year I wanted to make sure some of them got a chance to win a little piece of it. Head on over to the BC13 blog, post your favorite reclaimed items from this year, and keep an eye out for two more rounds of goodies!